GE Profile Dishwasher F45 Fix: Straight-Forward Error Code Guide

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What This Error Means

On GE Profile dishwashers, F45 is a control-board fault code. The main electronic board has failed a self-check or is losing communication with other parts.

What you see: the dishwasher stops mid-cycle or refuses to start because the brain (control board) has thrown a hard error and locked things out.

GE doesn't publish F45 in most consumer manuals, but in the field it behaves like a serious electronic fault, not a simple clogged filter or open door.

Official Fix

Here's the official, by-the-book play for an F45 on a GE Profile dishwasher:

  • Kill power at the breaker for at least 5 minutes to clear any software glitch.
  • Turn the breaker back on and try a short or rinse cycle.
  • If F45 pops right back up or the unit won't run, the manual calls this an internal electronic fault and tells you to get service.
  • What an authorized tech will do, per GE procedures:
    • Verify you have ~120V AC at the dishwasher junction box under the machine.
    • Inspect the harness between the main control board (down low behind the kick plate) and the user interface board (in the door) for loose plugs, burn marks, or broken wires.
    • Run the built-in diagnostic mode; if F45 returns consistently, they condemn the main control board.
    • Install a new main control board, then re-run diagnostics.
    • If the UI won't talk to the new board, they add a new UI (console) board as well.
  • End of story in the manual: persistent F45 = replace the control electronics and re-test.

If you don't like working around 120V wiring or pulling panels, this is exactly where GE wants you to call a pro.

The Technician's Trick

What techs actually try before dropping money on new boards:

  • Do a real hard reset, not a tap-reset. Flip the breaker off, open the dishwasher door, and leave it that way 10–15 minutes. That lets the control fully discharge. Then close the door, power back on, and test a short cycle. Quick breaker flips don't always clear a stubborn control fault.
  • Look for moisture and corrosion under the machine. Pull the lower toe panel with power OFF. If you see water in the base, rust on brackets, or white chalky residue around the board area, dry everything out with a fan for a few hours and fix any obvious leak. Damp connectors can throw mystery F-codes.
  • Reseat every connector on the main control board. With power still OFF, drop the control box, then unplug and firmly re-plug each harness one at a time. Watch for browned plastic, greenish pins, or anything loose. Many "bad" boards are just bad connections.
  • Check the door harness where it bends. Gently pull the inner door skin if you're comfortable. Follow the wire bundle that runs from the chassis into the door. If the insulation is cracked or a wire is broken where the door flexes, that can trigger control errors like F45. Replacing the harness is cheaper than a board.
  • Listen to what happens right before F45. If you hear the wash pump hum, stall, or buzz and then the code appears, the pump may be pulling too much current and tripping the control. In that case, a new board alone is a band-aid; the pump or something jammed in it is the root problem.

After those checks, if F45 is still solid and repeatable, assume the main control board is cooked and plan on replacing it.

Is It Worth Fixing? (The Financial Verdict)

  • ✅ Fix: Stainless-tub GE Profile under about 8–10 years old, runs quiet otherwise, and F45 is the only issue; a board swap under roughly $300–$350 installed is usually worth it.
  • ⚠️ Debatable: 9–12 years old, racks rusting, door springs or cables already failing, or you've put money into pumps/heaters recently; compare repair cost against a mid-range new dishwasher.
  • ❌ Replace: 12+ years old, plastic tub, noisy pump, leaks, or it needs both a control board and major wet parts (pump, diverter, sump). Don't feed it more parts; put that cash toward a replacement.

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See also

Other appliances screaming error codes at you? These guides can help you shut them up: